Dust pollution scares residents
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Dust pollution is posing a health threat to more than 100,000 residents in Wuhan, Hubei Province, a problem that experts say could result in many more cases of lung problems in the area.
A resident in Houhu surnamed Yang told the Global Times Wednesday that dust in the air has increased since the beginning of the year and he has to clean his car every day for at least 10 minutes.
"I think the dust is from the cement trucks," said Yang, adding that there are six construction sites around his neighborhood, where trucks transport construction materials without protection.
The city government said in 2006 it planned to develop Houhu into a "harmonious residential town" in order to attract up to 300,000 new residents to live there by 2020, the Wuhan Evening News reported Wednesday.
An official from Wuhan Environmental Protection Bureau, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Global Times Wednesday that the air in Houhu was indeed populated by dust and most of the dust came from construction materials and waste transportation.
"However, all the construction sites have legal documents to carry out work so we have no right to stop them," said the official.
Niu Fengrui, a professor from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times Wednesday that the Wuhan government should stop any construction site if it harms residents' health.
